Pharmaceuticals comprising polyhydroxymethylene derivatives, process for their preparation and use

A pharmaceutical composition for administration to a mammal containing a serum cholesterol level decreasing amount of a polymer which contains one or both of units (I) and (II) as constituents of the base polymer ##STR4## in which R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 independently of one another are hydrogen or a monovalent hydrocarbon radical having up to 8 carbon atoms, and optionally small amounts of further monomer units, the base polymer additionally containing covalently bonded units, grafted onto the base polymer and, optionally, incorporated as end groups thereon, said covalently bonded units being derived from at least one reactant compound of the formula (III) ##STR5## in which R.sub.3, X, R.sub.4, R.sub.5, m and n have the following meaning:

• R.sub.3 is a hydrocarbon radical having 4 to 30 carbon atoms;
• X is one or more of --O--, --NH-- and --COO--;
• R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 independently of one another are hydrogen or a monovalent hydrocarbon radical having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, with the proviso that at least one of R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 is hydrogen;
• m is an integer from 1 to 40;
• and
• n is 1, 2, 3, or 4, together with a physiologically acceptable excipient.